2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
24
Ranked Colleges
488
Degrees Awarded
$22,900
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 1,507 people earned their degree in urban studies/affairs, making the major the 346th most popular in the United States.
Across the Middle Atlantic region, there were 488 urban studies/affairs graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking analyzed 24 colleges that offered a degree in urban studies/affairs. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great urban studies/affairs programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the urban studies/affairs program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Urban Studies/Affairs Schools
The urban affairs school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region.
Top 24 Best Value Colleges for Urban Studies/Affairs in the Middle Atlantic Region
Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, The Graduate Center, CUNY landed the #1 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 57 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
The Graduate Center did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at The Graduate Center
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Hunter College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in New York, New York, this large public school handed out 90 diplomas to qualified ’s urban affairs students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Hunter, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Hunter College is $2,158 for Middle Atlantic Region Urban Affairs students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Hunter College
Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Queens College landed the #3 spot on the list. QC is a public institution located in Queens, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 63 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
QC also made our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $3,469 for middle atlantic region urban affairs students per year to attend QC.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at QC
Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Coppin State University landed the #4 spot on the list. Coppin State University is a small public school situated in Baltimore, Maryland. It awarded 2 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Coppin, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Coppin State University is $10,105 for Middle Atlantic Region Urban Affairs students.
Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at Coppin State University
Out of the 24 schools in the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Rutgers University - New Brunswick landed the #5 spot on the list. Rutgers University - New Brunswick is a large school located in New Brunswick, New Jersey that handed out 7 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
Rutgers New Brunswick not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Rutgers University - New Brunswick is $23,035 for Middle Atlantic Region Urban Affairs students.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Rutgers New Brunswick
With a ranking of #6, University at Albany did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Albany, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s urban affairs degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our middle atlantic region urban affairs students list, UAlbany has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $18,355 for middle atlantic region urban affairs students per year to attend University at Albany.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full University at Albany Urban Studies/Affairs Report
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Pitt is a public institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Pitt also made our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $27,058 for middle atlantic region urban affairs students per year to attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Urban Studies/Affairs Report
Towson University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Towson, Maryland, and it awarded 6 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
Towson did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Towson University is $18,105 for middle atlantic region urban affairs students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Towson University
University of Maryland - College Park landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in College Park, Maryland, this large public school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified ’s urban affairs students in 2020-2021.
UMCP also took the #8 spot in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $18,048 for middle atlantic region urban affairs students per year to attend University of Maryland - College Park.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full UMCP Urban Studies/Affairs Report
With a ranking of #10, University at Buffalo did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. University at Buffalo is a large school located in Buffalo, New York that handed out 11 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
University at Buffalo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University at Buffalo is $19,262 for middle atlantic region urban affairs students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at University at Buffalo
With a ranking of #11, Canisius College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Canisius is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Buffalo, New York. It awarded 2 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
Canisius not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Canisius is $18,602 for Middle Atlantic Region Urban Affairs students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at Canisius
Buffalo State did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #12. Buffalo State is a public institution located in Buffalo, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Buffalo State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Buffalo State is $13,785 for middle atlantic region urban affairs students.
Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Buffalo State
University of the District of Columbia came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s urban affairs degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our middle atlantic region urban affairs students list, University of the District of Columbia has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $16,001 for Middle Atlantic Region Urban Affairs students per year to attend University of the District of Columbia.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at University of the District of Columbia
With a ranking of #14, Rutgers University - Camden did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Rutgers University - Camden is a medium-sized school located in Camden, New Jersey that handed out 3 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
Rutgers Camden also took the #21 spot in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rutgers Camden is $16,369 for Middle Atlantic Region Urban Affairs students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Rutgers Camden Urban Studies/Affairs Report
Drexel University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Drexel University is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 2 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
Drexel also took the #14 spot in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Drexel University is $35,963 for middle atlantic region urban affairs students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Drexel University
With a ranking of #16, Fordham University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Fordham University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Bronx, New York. It awarded 13 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
Fordham U also made our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $38,147 for middle atlantic region urban affairs students per year to attend Fordham University.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Fordham University
With a ranking of #17, Manhattan College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Manhattan College is a small school located in Riverdale, New York that handed out 2 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
Manhattan also took the #20 spot in our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $30,215 for Middle Atlantic Region Urban Affairs students per year to attend Manhattan.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Manhattan College Urban Studies/Affairs Report
With a ranking of #18, The New School did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. This fairly large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 13 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
New School University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $44,430 for middle atlantic region urban affairs students per year to attend New School University.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at The New School
New York University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. New York University is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 33 ’s urban affairs degrees to qualified students.
NYU also made our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $38,569 for middle atlantic region urban affairs students per year to attend New York University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at New York University
With a ranking of #20, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 19 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Columbia is $22,823 for Middle Atlantic Region Urban Affairs students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Columbia Urban Studies/Affairs Report
Barnard College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Barnard College is a small school located in New York, New York that handed out 20 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
Barnard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Barnard College is $33,122 for Middle Atlantic Region Urban Affairs students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Barnard College Urban Studies/Affairs Report
Haverford College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Haverford is a small school located in Haverford, Pennsylvania that handed out 6 ’s urban affairs degrees in 2020-2021.
Haverford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Haverford College is $25,789 for middle atlantic region urban affairs students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at Haverford
University of Pennsylvania came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s urban affairs degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.
UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Pennsylvania is $25,046 for Middle Atlantic Region Urban Affairs students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Urban Studies/Affairs at UPenn
Vassar College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Urban Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Vassar is located in Poughkeepsie, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 ’s urban affairs degrees to qualified students.
Vassar not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Urban Studies/Affairs Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $27,499 for Middle Atlantic Region Urban Affairs students per year to attend Vassar College.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Urban Studies/Affairs at Vassar College
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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